I.

BULLYING

A. Bullying occurs when an individual or a group of people with more power,

repeatedly and intentionally cause hurt or harm to another person or group
of people who feel helpless to respond.

Actions that do not fit the definition of bullying

 Single episodes of social rejection or dislike

 Single episode acts of nastiness or spite
 Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights.

B. Types of bullying

a) Physical bullying

Physical bullying is using one‟s body and physical bodily acts to exert power over
peers. Punching, kicking and other physical attacks are all types of physical bullying.

b) Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying arises when an individual uses verbal language to embarrass, mock
or insult another person. It includes name calling, insults, teasing, intimidation,
homophobic or racist remarks, or verbal abuse.

c) Social bullying

Social bullying is done with the intent to hurt somebody's reputation, relationships, or
social standing.

Social bullying includes:

 Lying and spreading rumours

 Negative facial or physical gestures, menacing or contemptuous looks
 Playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate
 Encouraging others to socially exclude someone
 Damaging someone's social reputation or social acceptance
 d) Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying uses digital technologies, including hardware such as computers and
smartphones, and software such as social media, instant messaging, texts, websites
and other online platforms.

Cyber bullying can include:

 Abusive or hurtful texts emails or posts, images or videos

 Deliberately excluding others online
 Nasty gossip or rumours
 Imitating others online or using their log-in

C. Causes of Bullying
 Poor Value System
 Will and desire
 Don't like the person
 Find bullying fun
 Like to feel tough, strong and in control
 Think it will make them popular

D. Effects of Bullying

Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who
witness bullying.

a. Those who are Bullied

 Experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues.
 Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness,
changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they
used to enjoy.
 Health complaints

Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school

participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent
measures. In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a
history of being bullied.
 b. Those Who Bully Others

Those who bully others can also engage in violent and other risky behaviors into
adulthood.

Those who bully are more likely to:

 Abuse alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults

 Get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school
 Engage in early sexual activity
 Have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults
 Be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults

c. Bystanders

Those who witness bullying are more likely to:

 Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs

 Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
 Miss or skip school

The Relationship between Bullying and Suicide

Media reports often link bullying with suicide. However, most youth who are bullied
do not have thoughts of suicide or engage in suicidal behaviors.

Although those who are bullied are at risk of suicide, bullying alone is not the cause.
Many issues contribute to suicide risk, including depression, problems at home, and
trauma history. Additionally, specific groups have an increased risk of suicide,
including American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian American, lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender youth. This risk can be increased further when these kids
are not supported by parents, peers, and schools. Bullying can make an
unsupportive situation worse.
 II. LGBTQIA+

A. LGBT history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and
sexuality of ancient civilizations, involving the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBT) people and cultures around the
world. Evidence of the existence of LGBT folk has been found in almost all
ancient civilizations, some examples of these civilizations are:

● ANCIENT EGYPT

Ostraca dating from the Ramesside Period have been found which depict hastily drawn
images of homosexual as well as heterosexual sex. The duo Khnumhotep and
Niankhkhnum, manicurists in the Palace of King Niuserre during the Fifth Dynasty of
Egyptian pharaohs, circa 2400 BC are speculated to have been gay based on a
representation of them embracing nose-to-nose in their shared tomb.

● ANCIENT CHINA

Homosexuality has been acknowledged in China since ancient times. Scholar Pan
Guangdan came to the conclusion that nearly every emperor in the Han Dynasty had
one or more male sex partners.

● ANCIENT GREECE

The earliest documents concerning same-sex relationships come from ancient Greece.
A mature man would not usually have a mature male mate (with exceptions such as
Alexander the Great and the same-aged Hephaestion) but the older man would usually
be the erastes (lover) to a young eromenos (loved one). Men could also seek
adolescent boys as partners as shown by some of the earliest documents concerning
same-sex pederastic relationships, which come from ancient Greece.

● AMERICA

Among Indigenous peoples of the Americas prior to European colonization, a number of

nations had respected roles for homosexual, bisexual, and gender-nonconforming
individuals; in many indigenous communities, these social and spiritual roles are still
observed.
 B. DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. LGBTQIA+ Community refers to the collective of persons who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual

2. Sex refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as the
genitalia and genetic differences.

3. Gender refer to the role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role, or an
individual's concept of themselves, or gender identity.

4. Gender Identity refers to the personal sense of identity as characteristized, among

others, by manner of clothing, inclinations, and behavior in relation to masculine or
feminine conventions.

5. Gender Expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to

others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, communication, or speech pattern, or body
characteristics.

C. Issues

i. Discrimination and Acceptance

DISCRIMINATION

It is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things,

especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

In the context of the LGBTQIA+ Community, discrimination refers to any distinction,

exclusion, restriction, or preference which is based on any ground such as sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, and which has the purpose or effect of
nullifying or impairing the recognition, access to, enjoyment, or exercise by all person on
an equal footing of all rights and freedom.

1. Discrimination in School

1. 1 In the Philippines, students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
too often find that their schooling experience is marred by bullying, discrimination, lack
of access to LGBT-related information, and in some cases, physical or sexual assault.
These abuses can cause deep and lasting harm and curtail students‟ right to education,
protected under Philippine and international law.
1.2 Congress passed the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013, with implementing rules and
regulations that enumerate sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds
for bullying and harassment. But these policies have not been adequately enforced. In
the absence of effective implementation and monitoring, many LGBT youth continue to
experience bullying and harassment in school. Despite prohibitions on bullying, for
example, students across the Philippines described patterns of bullying and
mistreatment that went unchecked by school staff. Carlos M., a 19-year-old gay student
from Olongapo City, said: “When I was in high school, they‟d push me, punch me. When
I‟d get out of school, they‟d follow me [and] push me, call me „gay,‟ „faggot,‟ things like
that.”

2. Discrimination in the Workplace

2.1 LGBT people still face widespread discrimination: Between 11 percent and 28
percent of LGB workers report losing a promotion simply because of their sexual
orientation, and 27 percent of transgender workers report being fired, not hired, or
denied a promotion

2.2 Fear keeps LGBT employees closeted at work - LBGT employees prefer to remain
closeted about their sexual orientation and gender identity because they fear that being
themselves would result in them losing connections with coworkers, or that they might
not be offered opportunities for development or advancement.

3. Discrimination in the Community In too many countries, being lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender or intersex (LGBTI) means living with daily discrimination.From name-
calling and bullying, to being denied a job or appropriate healthcare, the range of
unequal treatment faced is extensive and damaging. It can also be life-threatening. In all
too many cases, LGBTI people are harassed in the streets, beaten up and sometimes
killed, simply because of who they are. A spate of violence against trans people has
claimed the lives of at least 369 individuals between October 2017 and September
2018. Many intersex people around the world are forced to undergo dangerous,
invasive and completely unnecessary surgeries that can cause life-long physical and
psychological side effects.

ACCEPTANCE

An online survey was conducted among the LGBT representatives and almost 90%
admitted that modern society has become more accepting during the last few years.
Such results show that LGBT equality is an absolutely possible and achievable task.
Such a “change” and “acceptance” are considered to be the result of the LGBT equality
process. On the other hand, there will always be people who will never understand such
equality and will refuse to admit it. As a result, stigmatization of the LGBT community
will never have an end. The basic premise where Aristotelian ethical theory begins is
the experimental inquiry: "What is that which man ultimately looks for?" "Is it fame,
wealth or achievement?" Aristotle believes that there is something behind these. Thus
fundamental principle for him is happiness. Since Aristotelian ethics of self-actualization,
Aristotle cannot help but admit happiness is dependent on one's self actualization. And
in order to achieve this, one details the need to feel respected, proposing that when
people are accepted and valued by others they are capable of attaining self-
actualization.

ii. Why Other Countries accepted LGBTQIA+ not in the Philippines

In other countries like Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark and etc., LGBTQIA+ is highly
accepted and creates an environment that is supportive of gay people and their
relationships, respectful of all people, treat all people equally. In the Philippines, there
are still many people who are against this social controversy. One of the reasons is the
Filipino culture where most of the traditional people like the old generations still don‟t
understand what really this dilemma is. Societal attitudes toward homosexuality vary
greatly across different cultures and historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual
desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own values regarding
appropriate and inappropriate sexuality; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality,
while others may disapprove of such activities. As with heterosexual behaviour, different
sets of prescriptions and proscriptions may be given to individuals according to
their gender, age, social status or social class. It was noted that challenges for the
LGBT movement include the lack of an umbrella organization, lack of understanding
within the LGBT community about SOGI concepts, and a lack of unity due in part
because of class differences. This is within the context of continued social and political
challenges for LGBT communities and individuals and a lack of studies on LGBT rights
in the Philippines.

In view of religion, the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia with more than 86
percent of the population is Roman Catholic. With this, we can say that it is really hard
for the LGBTQIA+ community to be accepted in the Philippines. Religion has been a
source of both solace and suffering for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
queer (LGBTQ) because many believed that men are for women and vice versa.

Lastly, homosexuals are associated with HIV/Aids. They have this stigma that they are
the ones who started or caused and spread HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS cases are highly
increasing in our country. This is one of the reasons why the community is difficult to
accept compared to other countries.
 iii. Sogie Bill

SOGIE Bill is the most current and controversial issue that is somehow related to the
Filipino LGBT Community. It has been the hottest topic in the senate hearing whether
this bill should be approved or not. After a thorough discussion the group have decided
not to approve with this kind of bill, not because we hate LGBT community and not
because we dont' want them to have the rights they deserve. The issue here is not
directly about the LGBT community, our concern is more on the bill itself. Does it really
promote equality? Wouldn't it be a prejudicial to the right of others? Is it for the common
good? Is it really necessary?

Those questions in the preceding paragraph are essential in order to weigh things,
whether this bill should be approved or not. We had come up with some points or
reasons why this bill should not be approved. First, the bill is "based on feelings and not
facts" according to Atty. Lyndon during the senate hearing which we agreed. Second, it
is Inconsistent with our law because if you allow feelings as your basis on legal
judgment then a minor kid can tell he's already an adult because that's what he feels
and that is not true with our law. Third, it is against Women's Right, how is it equality for
women to force them through this bill to allow biological men to enter their comfort
rooms where they could feel safe and comfort? Also with this bill we would risk the
safety and security of women and children.

iv. Same Sex Marriage

Like heterosexual couples, many members of LGBT community would want to form
stable and long lasting relationship. Same sex marriage is among the other issues that
LGBT Community is trying to gain rights but the state is yet to decide on whether to
consider this issue or not. Certain arguments were raised regarding the issue such as:

 Children raised by homosexuals are more likely to experience confusion

regarding their gender identity

According to Judith Stacey a sociologist, lesbian parenting may free

daughters and sons from a broad but uneven range of traditional gender prescription.
The relationship between parental sexual orientations and children‟s sexual preference
and behaviors may cause homoerotic relationships. Sons of homosexual couples are
less masculine and that daughters are more masculine.

 Same-sex marriage would further isolate marriage from its procreation purpose

Marriage and procreation have been connected to one another and should
not be extended to same sex couples for they cannot produce children together.
Contrary to the argument against procreation, wherein heterosexual couples cannot
have children or don‟t want them, in those cases, there is still a potential to produce
children. Heterosexual couples who do not wish to have children are biologically
capable of having a child.

 Legalizing same sex marriage could lead people in polygamous, incestuous,

bestial and other non traditional relationship the right to marry

Marriage between two consenting adults is not inherently more or less

correct than marriage among three or more consenting adults. Dobson, J. founder of
Focus on the Family predicted that legalizing same sex marriage will enable group
marriage and marriage between family members. Also, marriage is a privilege, not a
right. Traditional concept of marriage is between man and a woman. Thus, same sex
marriage should not change the definition of marriage.

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK

Decisions about right and wrong permeate everyday life. Men are confronted with
several social issues that affect his or her well-being and relationship with other people.
As rational beings man is ought to use his intellect in addressing these issues and thus
there are several ethical frameworks that would allow people to make better decisions
based on purpose, morale and values.

1. Immanuel Kant‟s Categorical Imperative

This refers to commands that you must follow, regardless of your desires. The
formulations are the Universalizability Principle which is “Act only according to that
maxim which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law
without contradiction. It highlights that if you should be able to do it, then everyone
should be able to do it. And the Formula of Humanity which is “Act so that you treat
humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end, and
never as mere means” It describes that to use something as a “mere means” is to use it
only for your own benefit, with no thought to the interests or benefit of the thing you‟re
using. It focuses on “Ends-In-Ourselves” we are not mere objects that exist to be used
by others. We‟re our own ends. We are rational and autonomous. We have the ability to
set our own goals, and work toward them.

2. Aristotle‟s Virtuous Theory

The theory emphasizes the role of character and virtue in moral
philosophy rather than following a set of rules. According to Aristotle, “act as a virtuous
person would act in your situation.” We are to focus on being good people and right
actions will follow. He further stated that our distinctive function is reasoning and life is
“worth living”. Virtue is the midpoint between the extremes and is not a feeling itself but
rather a proper psychological disposition in response to a feeling. The desire to be
virtuous is natural to man. This is described as acting on the basis of the Golden Mean
and taking stock of the situation. The right actions are the midpoint between the
extremes. Therefore Aristotle suggests that the aim of an action will be made clear by
the relevant virtuous characteristic as revealed by the Golden Mean. Applying virtues is
also developing our skill of “phronesis” or practical wisdom that we become better at
ascertaining where we can apply our virtuous character into practice. Character is
developed through habituation of virtuous acts. It is honing on our strength while
working on our weakness where it offers criticism in a way that is constructive than soul-
crushing. People who live virtuously are those who good.

3. Plato‟s Tripartite Theory

Plato identified a human beings as tripartite which is divided into three parts; the
intellect, desire and the will. Plato believed that our ability to reason is humanity's
highest accomplishment and virtue where we seek the truth. Personal justice involves
maintaining the three parts in the proper balance, where reason rules while desires
obey. As equated with chariot that provides rapid motive power. The horseman
(intellect) should be in control than the horse (desires) and the wheel (will) is to follow.
Rational process is a moral process and one must not be slaves of desires.

SOLUTION

Bullying is a problem that should not be disregarded. Many young people who
became victims of bullying are having a hard time dealing with it so the group list down
some possible solutions to this ethical problem. One of the reason why there are bullies
is because of their poor value system and that must be corrected. The solution must
really start at home. The role of parents are very important since most of the bullying
incidents happened with the young people who need guidance from adults. Parents
should be aware of what is happening with their child or children. They are the ones
who are responsible for their child's act. They also have to teach their child on what are
the proper things to do. Second is the role of school, if there is a bullying incident in
school, the teachers and other school personnel have the responsibility for that. They
have to educate their students that this kind of act is not appropriate and that it causes
harm to others. Third is the role of the society which is already making an action through
the anti-bullying act. This act is a good start to lessen bullying incidents. However those
thing mentioned are just minor solutions because the real solution starts within yourself.
This act is a matter of choice, if you bully someone that is your choice and if you
decided to stop bullying someone that is still your choice but just an advice, if you are
bullying someone STOP NOW! before it's too late.

A lot of people are having a hard time accepting LGBT community that is why
most of the members of LGBT experienced descrimination. What our group can say
about this is that let's just be open with the idea that these people are existing. They are
also human beings who deserve respect and acceptance. If you are having a hard time
accepting those Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender and etc. just accept them and
treat them as a human being. Regarding to the current issue that Filipino LGBT
community is facing right now such as the SOGIE bill. Again we are not opposing to this
bill because we hate LGBT community but because it really needs further discussion on
what are the things to be consider and not to consider. This kind of things should not be
done on a haste. We must not let our emotion rule our ability to reason or to think. We
also want the rights that the LGBT community deserve but without stepping on others'
right.

INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS

CABAGUE, MA. STELLA R.

The traditional bullies, cyber bullies and the members of LGBTQ+ Community
share the same desire of seeking attention and acceptance from society. This is the
problem because this will drive them to do actions that will only benefit themselves while
not considering how these actions might affect other people. The impacts of their desire
for affirmation is saying hurtful words and doing violent acts towards others in terms of
bullying as a whole while fighting for their personal rights without considering others in
terms of the LGBTQ+ Community. Immanuel Kant‟s Categorical Imperative, particularly
the Formulation of End Itself or Humanity, conveys that we must not use humans as
mere means for one‟s own benefit. Instead, we must treat a person as an end in his or
herself. This ideology clearly illustrates the negativity of bullying and also, it presents the
notion of accepting LGBTQ+ members as humans too who deserve acceptance and
respect. However, there are certain limitations that we must adhere towards the
LGBTQ+ community‟s yearn for acceptance especially that it lead to other timely issues
that affect the society. In correlation is Aristotle‟s Virtue on Ethics, specifically the
Golden Mean, wherein one must balance the extremes and deficiency of his or her
actions. Lastly, according to Plato‟s view of man as a tripartite being, a person‟s desire
must not overpower his intellect. As I think and analyze, I believe that the origin of their
desire boils down to the person‟s value system which is shaped by his family, education
and peers because if a person has a strong foundation of value system I believe that
this will not lead him to seek for other people‟s affirmation and do actions that will only
benefit himself while not considering how these actions might affect other people.

BITOON, LAIZA MARIE B.

Social issues are found abundance in our country. Some of it which seem to
have plagued our society are bullying and the issue about homosexuality. Bullying
brings no good in whatever aspect since the act which is done repeatedly and
intentionally can cause harm to others. Cyberbullying which is one of the forms of
bullying involves the use of technology and other social media platforms also affect over
70 percent of young people globally, according to the United Nations Children‟s Fund
(UNICEF). After all the data are presented, I strongly agree that bullying is an immoral
act and it is unjustifiable in all circumstances. On the other hand, homosexuality is most
likely the result of several factors that affect one‟s life. Homosexuals also experienced
bullying and discrimination because they are somewhat different from the society. For
this reason, the LGBT community started to fight for their own rights.

Based on the views presented, I stand for Emmanuel Kant‟s Categorical

Imperative for both issues. It states that one should act only on that maxim through
which it should become a universal law. It means that one should act in ways that we
want others to act to all similar situations. Bullying is not accepted as a moral act for it
causes only harm and negative effects towards a person. Thus, if we don‟t want to be
bullied then one should not do it to others. Furthermore, homosexuality is accepted in
Categorical Imperative by Emmanuel Kant. Homosexual behavior can be respectful and
harmless. One can engage themselves from having an intimate relationship between
same sex without hurting anyone and without being disrespectful. If we accept that
intimate relationships, specifically in male and female are permissible, then we have to
accept that intimate relationship between the same sex will be permissible for the same
reason in similar situations. Therefore, to prevent the act of bullying, the society should
build a stronger value system and they should accept homosexuals but with limitations.

HARLEY HAZEL MONTOYA

If homosexuality is wrong, why does it exist? Who are to blame? In theology, it is

what we call sin. Because of the fall of man, everyone on earth is broken. Therefore,
homosexuality exists because of the factors that affect our life and that homosexuality is
merely a choice. However, under Categorical Imperative by Immanuel Kant, it is
permissible because it is neither disrespectful in some cases nor can hurt anyone.
Thus, it is morally permissible rather than immoral. Furthermore, bullying is also one of
the issues in society where it is not simply being mean but abusing some form of power
to prove that one is superior to the other, which they call bully. Cyberbullying is one of
the many forms of bullying where it involves the use of technology and the media.
Plato‟s tripartite being states that desire and will should not over rule one‟s intellect.
Hence, it is an ethical issue for it affects someone‟s life that may lead to depression and
suicide attempt. Homosexuals experienced bullying and discrimination because of their
indifferences but in modern times, they are slowly accepted in the society. If this
continues, they would start to raise their own rights that may go against the rights of the
heterosexuals. For instance, certain provisions in SOGIE Bill which stands for Sexual
Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression particularly in Section 1 made the law
inconsistent regarding anti discrimination thus, people would think it is special rights for
homosexuals. Thus, for the common good, society should start to accept LGBT
community but with limitations. To prevent bullying, it should start to how strong your
values systems are through the family, peers and social environment. Everyone must
foster moral engagement and bullying education is a must so that bullies would know
that their actions have corresponding consequences.

CASTILLO, KARLA T.

Social issues serve as a hindrance to development of the well-being and

personal relationship of man. These affect our moral sensitivity, judgment, motivation
and character. And these are not just ordinary issues that affect the adult population but
as well as the children. Bullying is a form of violence with imbalance of power that
intends to hurt another emotionally and physically. Cyber-bullying is a form of bullying
that uses technology and covers a mass audience. The effect is crucial to health and
overall-well being or the parties involved. Example is the Joaquin Montes bullying
incident which was in the form of verbal and physical attack. Applying Plato‟s Tripartite
man should not allow his desires to overpower his intellect. Bullying or Cyber-bullying
defeats the purpose of reason because the bully is no longer acting on his intellect but
rather a slave of the desire to feel superior. LGBTQIA+ is the modern term for
homosexuality boils down to the choice of man. It has been an issue since some
members in the society is not open for them which led to discrimination. These people
find the need to be accepted for who they are, thus were overpowered by feelings and
emotions that lead to several controversy and one is the SOGIE Bill. Applying the
Categorical Imperative by Kant, the formulation of humanity as an end rather than
objects is within acceptable grounds if it does led harm to others. Overpowered desires
defeat the moral process of rationality and sociality because rational citizens are what
create a rational society. Some contributing actors are the parents with lack of support
and care, peers, media, society where the child grew in violence, which lead to poor
values system and ignorance such situations. People should be sensitive enough to
treat others well regardless of their appearance, belief and preferences. Therefore there
is a need to instill strong values and virtues among individuals.

SIM, LYCA MAE

Bullying is an ethical issue that should not be tolerated, it causes pain to other
people whether physically or emotionally. I think the reason why some people are doing
this unethical behavior is that maybe they have a poor value system or maybe they also
experience being bullied by others, that‟s why they find someone whom they think is
weaker than them to express their anger. However no matter what your reasons are it is
not still justifiable to bully a person and according to the Categorical Imperative of
Immanuel Kant, “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time
will that it should become a universal law”. We all know that bullying would never be
universalize because no one will say that bullying is okay. It will never be okay because
it causes harm to other people.

LGBTQIA+ community have faced a lot of issues fighting for their rights. I
personally accept LGBTQIA+ community I don‟t have any objection about them fighting
for their rights because we all deserve it. Human beings are entitled for their own dignity
and respect and LGBTQIA+ communtiy is not an exception. However, I am concerned
with some of the rights they are fighting for such as the same-sex marriage and the
SOGIE Bill. As a catholic christian I don‟t agree with same-sex marriage because I
really believe in the Natural Law of Thomas Aquinas that human beings has its own role
or function which is to reproduce or to procreate and same-sex marriage is contrary to
that. Also, it violates religious freedom of countless traditional christian as well as the
canon law of the catholic church which define marriage as the covenant "by which a
man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and
which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and
education of offspring".

ALICAYA, MARIA HANNAH C.

There are many social issues that need to be addressed, but bullying in one way or
another has affected everybody. Bullying is classified as “aggressive behaviour where a
dominant individual or group abuses their greater power by threatening a less dominant
individual” (Maher, 2008). Bullying usually has a large impact on how a person
perceives and presents themselves in society. The majority of bullying happens on the
playground when there is minimal supervision and surveillance which not only means
that there is more bullying but the bullying is much worse, it is more likely to be physical,
vicious and continuous. The main issues associated with bullying are self-harm, poor
mental reasoning.

The emergence of the LGBTQIA+ community in the present gives rise to different
issues relating to gender preference, gender identity and sexual orientations. From
then, a gay culture rapidly evolved, although with stratification of identity and
communities with the adoption of a Western notion of “gay”.

The categorical imperative would be applied on both issues. It was originally

stated to be, “Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can, at the
same time will that it should become a universal law.” This means “act only in
accordance with reasons that would apply to all similar situations.” If you think that it is
permissible to take a shower because it is neither disrespectful to others nor does it hurt
anyone, then you have to accept that other actions that are neither disrespectful nor
hurtful are also permissible, such as tying your shoes.

Homosexual behaviour appears to fit this description (it can be respectful and harmless)
in at least many cases. Consenting adults can decide to have sex for personal
enjoyment without hurting anyone and without being disrespectful whether the sexual
act is between people of the same sex or not. If we accept that sexual acts in some
situations are permissible, then we have to accept that it will be permissible for the
same reason in similar situations.

CAROPE, ELROSE

Bullies have the desire to seek attention from the society. This desire had
become their driving force to do things that are harmful to others. They hurt others
physically, verbally and emotionally, and through this they feel some sort of fulfillment.
And in today's generation, cyberbullying bullying has become rampant, it entails
sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone
else, which takes place in the social media platforms where in everybody has access to.
This correlates to the first formulation of Categorical Imperative: The Principle of
Universalizability, “Always act so that you may also wish that the maxim of your action
become a universal law.” This is to ask every time we do something if we can
reasonably and without wanting to contradict that everyone acts the same way. The act
of bullying all boils down to the poor value system the bullies have. That is why in order
to avoid this reinforcement should always start in our homes, equipping the children with
values and strengthening them throughout the way.

The LGBTQIA+ Community, for thousands of years, had faced discrimination,

prejudice and disapproval from society, that is why they continue to desire to be
accepted by the society. The issue involved in homosexuality is the right of expressing
their gender identity they see fit as long as it does not directly harm others. Even if it
offends some people's tastes and family values, that is no reason for branding it as
immoral as long as no other laws are broken and people are not harmed as a result of
homosexuality, then freedom of expressing themselves is to be allowed. Although
members of the LGBTQIA+ community have different sexual preferences, they are still
human beings and therefore should not be discriminated against in any way by the
society. This is in relation to the Categorical Imperative: The Formula of Humanity of
Immanuel Kant where in one should recognize the humanity of the person, that he also
has goals, values and interests of her own. However, I believe that there are certain
limitations that the LGBTQIA+ has to adhere in connection with Aristotelian ethics, the
doctrine of the mean, that one must be in the middle between two extremes, one of
excess and the other of deficiency. They also need to be treated fairly, must be free
from all the disapproving glares of the society, and have an equal footing with the other
people in the society to achieve happiness in connection to Aristotle's Virtue Ethics

MANABAT, EMMA

According to Kantian's Categorical Imperative, you should always act in such a way that
you can also will that the maxim of your action should become a universal law.

This means at least two things: if you aren't willing for the ethical rule you claim to be
following to be applied equally to everyone - including you - then that rule is not a valid
moral rule. if the ethical rule you claim to be following cannot logically be made a
universal rule, then it is not a valid moral rule. In ethics we teach the universality of
one‟s actions. It is based on the Kantian categorical imperative that we should act in
ways that we would want others to act in similar situations for similar reasons. In other
words, we wouldn‟t want to be bullied so we should not bully others. It goes back to the
Golden Rule : Do not do unto others if you do not want other do unto you. Furthermore,
cyberbullying which is one of the many forms of bullying where it involves the use of
technology and the media. Plato‟s tripartite being states that desire and will should not
over rule one‟s intellect. Hence, it is an ethical issue for it affects someone‟s life that
may lead to depression and suicide attempt. On the other hand, homosexuality or in
modern term, LGBT community under Categorical Imperative by Immanuel Kant, it is
permissible because it is neither disrespectful in some cases nor can hurt anyone.
Thus, it is morally permissible rather than immoral.
GROUP INSIGHT

Social issues have plagued the life of too many people. Our society in particular
is crippled with it and these prevalent issues in which a significant population is affected
includes as bullying and homosexuality. Different theories have been presented to give
insights and deeper knowledge on whether a certain act can be considered moral or
immoral and validates the intellect of a person from distinguishing right from wrong. The
group stands for Emmanuel Kant‟s Categorical Imperative.

According to Emmanuel Kant‟s Categorical Imperative, one should act only on

that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a
universal law. If the ethical rule you will follow cannot logically be made a universal rule,
then it is not a valid moral rule. Universality of one‟s actions is based on the Kantian
categorical imperative that we should act in ways that we would want others to act in
similar situations for similar reasons. Thus, if we don‟t want to be bullied so we should
not bully others.

Kant‟s Categorical Imperative also is best applicable to the LGBTQIA+ issue,

being a homosexual doesn‟t give any harm or disrespect to other people. Being
attracted to same sex has no difference of being attracted to the opposite sex. Thus it
fits Kant‟s concept of universality, where actions are called moral when it can be
universalized.
REFERENCES

Kemerling, G. (November 12, 2011). Kant: The Moral Order. Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0

Anscombe, E. (2001). Kantian Ethics.

Johnson, R. (July 7, 2016). Kant‟s Moral Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/is-
homosexuality-immoral/amp/

https://www.undp.org/content/dam/philippines/docs/Governance/Philippines%20Report_
Final.pdf

https://ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/is-homosexuality-immoral/

https://www.csus.edu/indiv/g/gaskilld/ethics/kantian%20ethics. Htm

https://www.frc.org/issuebrief/ten-arguments-from-social-science-against-same-sex-
marriage?fbclid=IwAR2zL0fld87DEIAPbbRcJnkZa-
Byr5hwihC0xHjujTGvZZ8hq2icsCGla0s